Clothes pin clip



March" 11, 1958 w. w. WHITE CLOTHES PIN CLIP Filed Nov. 18, 1953 N VEN D W/ZLAAD M Fly/75 DHNE United States Patent M This invention relates generally to fastening devices and particularlyto a pin clip for fastening cloth pieces.

, ,Clothes fastening pin clips worn by individuals are not made sufi'iciently fool proof as regards sticking the wearer. Further, while some attempts have been made to provide clothes pin clips somewhat resilient to accommodate for movement of clipped cloth pieces, such pin clips have been unsatisfactory. Such clips have been unsatisfactory in their constructional arrangement. They have pointed ends which may stick the wearer or have parts that may coact to pinch the wearer. Additionally, these previously suggested pin clips have been inadequate in grasping and holding cloth materials. They further involve complicated parts for the material grasping and holding elements.

These disadvantages are avoided bya pin clip clothes fastening device made in accordance with this invention in which a spring means is provided to allow for relative movement of fastened cloth pieces. The material grasping means is formed by a particular arrangement of the opposite ends of the spring means whereby the resilience of the spring means coact with the grasping means to facilitate the material grasping and to prevent discomfort to the wearer by the grasping means either pinching or sticking the wearers skin. And further the fastening device has incorporated therein personal protective means both to coact with the resilient means to prevent discomfort to the wearer and to coact with the grasping means to aid in securely holding the material without interfering with material grasping.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved pin clip for holding pieces of cloth materials.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved pin clip which is easily, quickly attachable to and detachable from cloth materials.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a clothes fastening device which accommodates for relative movements of the fastened clothes pieces as for instance resulting from movements of the wearer.

And still another object of this invention is to provide a fastening device for securely grasping and holding cloth materials of various thicknesses and for permitting relative movement of the fastened cloth pieces with safety protection to the wearer and for security of the fastening action of the device.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be understood from a consideration of the following description considered in view of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of two cloth pieces held together with a fastening device. (shown partly in section) made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation view of the fastening device shown in Fig. 1 and two pieces of material grasped by the device. Part of the view is in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation view partly in section showing the fastening device held by fingers and positioned whilebeing applied to a piece of material; and

2,825,950 Patented Mar. 11, 1958 Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial view of a modification of the fastening device made in accordance with this invention.

The fastening device is made of spring wire. An intermediate portion of the fastening device comprises a plurality of closely disposed convolutions of the wire forming a helically wound spring 11 in which the wire is disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centroidal axis of the coils, having material grasping means formed integrally at both ends thereof. These ends are identical to each other, each being part of the wire curved and hooked. End portions 13 of the spring wire are twisted or turned to extend normal to the coiled turns, disposed in a single plane normal to the direction of the wire of the coils. These hooked end portions, which thus form an uninterrupted surface with the coiled turns, have the wire tip 14 pointed for material penetration without damage thereto. The wire of each of the end portions is disposed in a single plane in which lies the longitudinal centroidal axis of the coils. Further, these sharpened, pointed tips are disposed within the circumference of the convolutions of the coiled spring turns with a slightly radially inwardly turn, whereby they are directed away from the periphery of the coiled portion. This tip is disposed relative to the coiled intermediate portion so that cloth can be brought between the intermediate portion and the adjacent pointed tip, whereby the convolutions prevent the points from sticking the wearer. Further, to prevent the clip from twisting the hooked cloth materials, both pointed ends are disposed on the same side of the coiled intermediate portion.

A protective sheath 15 is made of stretchable material preferably rubber. It is formed as a tube and is tightly and firmly applied over the spring cell. As the convolutions of the spring move apart and together, this sheath protects the wearer from the wire.

In utilizing this fastening device, a piece of material 17 is pressed as by the thumb against outer suface of the protective sheath. At the same time the forefinger Z2 is pressed against the opposite side of the sheath. The other end is held between the other thumb 23 and forefinger 24. At the same time that the material is thus pressed to the fastening device, the intermediate coiled portion is bent at an angle of about ninety degrees. This in effect shortens one side of the coil while it lengthens the opposite side, but the tube sheath, being stretchable, continues to cover all the coil. Then the thumb 21 is slipped down over the hooked end. This compresses the rubber sheath somewhat and the flesh of the thumb projects some of the material inwardly of the periphery of the coils. Thus the material contacts the pointed tip. As the thumb is brought down over that end portion, the tip passes through the material. With the pointed tip disposed radially inwardly as mentioned above, the cloth material is grasped and held by the end portion; yet the point is prevented from sticking the skin of the wearer or the person who is applying the fastening device.

The opposite end of the fastening device is hooked to another piece of cloth material 18 in exactly the same manner as above described with regard to the first end hooked to the material. It is desirable that the intermediate coiled portion of the fastening device be put under a little tension to securely hold thehooked cloth pieces.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the hooked end 31 enlarged and curved differently to accommodate somewhat thicker cloth and with an offset handle part to be held by the wearer. That is, the portion 32 of the loop diametrically opposite the pointed end is extended laterally outwardly of the coil portion and of the protective sheath to constitute a handle to be held between the thumb and forefinger of the person using the clip. While the loop formed by the end portion is enlarged, the pointed tip is kept at its position inwardly of the periphery of the coiled spring and of course, of the outer surface of the stretchable protective sheath.

It is claimed and desired to secure as Letters Patent:

1. A single wire pin clip having an intermediate portion formed into a plurality of coils comprising a helical spring in which the wire forming said spring is disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centroidal axis of said coils, opposite end portions of said wire being brought away from and normally in line with adiacent end coils of said spring in a direction substantially normal to the wire forming said coils thus forming an uninterrupted surface therewith, the wire of each of said end portions being disposed in a single plane in which said longitudinal centroidal axis of said coils lies, and each of said end portions being curved in said plane to define a hooked loop bent back toward said coils with the terminal end of said loop being pointed and disposed between and radially inwardly of the adjacent bent back portion of said loop and the periphery of said coils in close proximity to said coils so that a wearer of the pin clip is protected from the pointed ends, and with the pointed end of each loop being disposed diametrically opposite each of said end portions in said plane so that each pointed end may be firmly held in position while material is hooked by simultaneously pressing and pulling two fingers down along opposite sides of said coils and over the uninterrupted surface formed with each end portion.

2. The pin clip claimed in claim 1 wherein a tube of stretchable material is tightly and firmly enclosed about said intermediate portion to protect the wearer of said clip from pinching action of said coils.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 315,959 Pattyson Apr. 14, 1885 964,216 Collins July 12, 1910 1,357,669 Anderson Nov. 2, 1920 1,767,436 Curtin June 24, 1930 1,962,730 Boyd June 12, 1934 2,028,122 Floreth Jan. 14, 1936 

